Xinhua Middle East news summary at 2200 GMT, Feb. 14

A Sunni tribal leader and 10 others were shot dead by militiamen in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, a police source and a lawmaker said on Saturday.

The incident took place late Friday when militiamen opened fire on the convoy of Sheikh Qasim Swidan, head of al-Janabi Sunni tribe, on al-Qanat street in eastern Baghdad, leaving the tribal leader, his son and nine of his guards dead, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. (Iraq-Gunshot)

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RAMALLAH -- The Foreign Ministry of Palestinian National Authority (PNA) on Saturday demanded the United States to transparently and accurately probe the killing of three Muslims students in North Carolina.

The investigation has to consider the threats the American murder wrote on his Facebook page before the killing, said an emailed press statement of the ministry. (Palestine-US)

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ANKARA -- The Turkish government and Kurds are preparing a "joint statement" on progress of the "peace process," Turkish daily Hurriyet reported on Saturday.

The statement, "which is the most critical stage that have been reached on the peace process," will be made to the public after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan approve it, said the report. (Turkey-Kurds)

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ABU DHABI -- China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) agreed here on Saturday to boost their strategic partnership and bilateral cooperation.

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi is on an official visit to the UAE. He held a meeting with his UAE counterpart Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan on Saturday. (China-UAE-Visit) Endit